My first job post-college was actually as a radio deejay, where I learned that I don’t like working alone! I loved the deejay role when I had friends or guests in the studio, and taking phone calls from listeners. But the vast majority of my time was spent talking to an invisible audience and that made me feel a little crazy. Now I work in a wide-open studio loft office with music and laughter, a hammock and a trampoline—energy. I get life and inspiration from energy.  

Marketing and counseling came from working and living internationally. I had a lot of exposure to culture, demographics and language. Being multilingual helped me understand the power of language and communication. I became interested in messaging and the nuanced art of persuasion, influence and connection. 

Marketing resonated with me, in particular, because I had so many divergent job experiences. I learned to sell, promote, create, craft, inspire, train, coach, listen—all of that helped me understand the needs of my clients and their customers. My parents thought I would be a lawyer because I liked to argue and could defend any position once I set my mind to it.

Training was a function of several job roles and working with my mother's consulting firm. She put me through training with highly experienced professionals. Diversity and inclusion work resonated because I had lived internationally and saw how small the earth really is and just how similar people are despite all of the focus on differences. 

My educational background is nothing if not diverse! I attended five universities and had eleven different majors. I was a bit of a dilettante. I love learning. Every time I took a new class and encountered an inspiring professor I wanted to major in that.Yikes.

In the end, I left college twelve credits shy of graduation (with a Political Science major and a double-minor in German and Journalism) and I ran off with my first husband to have kids. That marriage ended very badly and I had to finish college online, choosing a degree program that would guarantee me maximum independence after suffering through an abusive and confining marriage. I had two children and very little income, so business school it was.

I get a little defensive when people criticize for-profit learning institutions like University of Phoenix Online, because as a domestic violence survivor and single mother, that school provided me with a way out of the shadows.

The most beneficial class I ever took was on leadership theory. I loved learning about the germinal management theorists and the journey from autocratic management to a more engaging, transformational leadership era. I wish I had taken more classes in Philosophy. I’m a big nerd, and I adore the capacity of the human mind.

I started acting after I left my first husband. I had two kids in tow and I wanted them to know that they could achieve their dreams. I realized at that point that despite so many majors, academic and professional interests, I had always avoided art. I was a natural visual and performing artist, and I had never pursued formal training.

I enrolled in art school at VCU and I began taking acting classes with Carol Piersol and Bill Patton and auditioning for everything I could. I had an 18-month streak where I landed every part I auditioned for and I sold a painting for $9,000. My kids were often allowed to attend my children's theatre rehearsals, so they grew up in the theatre. My eldest daughter is now planning to major in theatre in college and has a serious professional resume.

I love acting, but it’s a difficult career choice to cultivate with a large family. So I maintain it as an extracurricular interest. I only do one show per year, and commercials are short-term obligations so they are relatively easy to squeeze in and are tons of fun to do! 

I started TMI because I had developed a partnership with a diversity and inclusion practitioner whom I admired and respected so much that I married him! We saw that there was a market for our work in the U.S. and abroad and we wanted to be part of the solution in the fight against bias and disparity. 

In terms of advertising, I made sure that every single solitary person who met me knew what I was up to. I have still never purchased an ad. TMI’s growth has been organic and based on prioritizing quality over quantity. Word of mouth has been our saving grace. We operate with integrity and treat our employees and customers well. 

I am addicted to calendars. I have three on a glass wall in front of my desk, three on my desktop, one on the desk behind me, one in my phone, a portable pocket calendar and several at home. I am obsessed with timeliness as a result of my German upbringing. Big boxes of color are scattered across the months. You would see lots of meetings, speaking events, extracurricular activities, self-care activities, family activities, volunteer work, dates with my husband, community activities…the list goes on and on. I am relieved every time someone has to cancel an appointment! Free time!!

I am usually in meetings most of the day: client meetings, mentor meetings, staff meetings, business development meetings, or I am on client site doing keynotes, workshops or consulting.

I never use an alarm clock, so I wake naturally and I use a meditation app or do yoga to get started off right. If I am stressed or distressed, then I go straight to my calendar and start organizing my day. I often wake between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. and work for an hour when everything is quiet. I'm in the office between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and it's usually buzzing by the time I arrive. I usually leave by 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. so that I can see my kids. I try not to work at home, but that is hard for an entrepreneur, so sometimes it creeps in. 

I get things done when they need to get done, so I have created a workplace culture where people can leave for balance if and when they need to. So I get regular massages, facials, manicures, etc., to ensure that I make time for myself. I also take myself on lunch and movie dates and spend time with friends and family. My husband and I go on a date at least once a week because working together can take its toll. I also travel for work and for fun quite a bit and it's simultaneously exhausting and rejuvenating. I have wanderlust left over from my youth, so travel is still exciting.

We lead by example. We light the path and show people how it can be done. I have a very active life, and people always ask how I manage it all. We make time for the important things. At TMI we teach and model the tools and skills people need to be engaged and culturally competent.

We start with organizational assessments to quantify and qualify diversity, inclusion and engagement. We talk to individuals and groups about their workplace experiences and we provide recommendations based on our findings. Some clients need help attracting and retaining diverse, qualified talent. Others need help engaging current staff. Some clients have been through adverse litigation and we help them repair a damaged culture by restoring trust, communication and accountability. We provide individual and group coaching, team building, retreats, seminars, keynotes and on-going support.

Our primary goal with organizations is to embed diversity and inclusion values throughout the company. We are not the company to talk to about a one-day training. We deal in strategy consulting for long-term sustainability. 

My team and I attend a lot of community events and stay involved in partner projects based on our individual and collective interests.

In terms of partnerships, we look for integrity and authenticity in leadership. Do the leaders genuinely believe in inclusion and support diversity? Do they care about their staff and practice accountability? Do they tolerate disrespect of subordinates? We look for people who care about people and understand that working with TMI is an investment in human capital.

The schedule is the most challenging. I do a lot of facilitation and public speaking, and that can be exhausting. I schedule regular “me time,” including massages, spa days and time to myself. I also travel a fair amount and leisure travel is restorative for me.

I am honest with my children and they see the work that I do in the community. They see the way people respond to me and Matthew and they understand the value of helping people. We are involved in the community and people know them, too. My eldest daughter happens to look like my clone, so people mistake her for me and it’s a blessing that I have left a good impression on people! I can only imagine what her life would be like if I were a horrible monster who people hated! She and I did get to perform together once as mother and daughter...it was a highlight of my acting career. I'm sure it was kind of annoying to her!  

Make time for the things that are important.  Be the mom you want to be. That means something different to different people. Don’t live by anyone’s standards but your own.

I wake up looking forward to growing my business, working with my awesome team and watching my kids grow up. What’s next? We have a book deal in the works. I may finish my dissertation before I turn 99, but it’s not my priority at the moment. I’d like to expand TMI’s international division so we can increase our global impact.